ArtPrize 2011 unveils first handful of artists connected with a venue for the 3rd exhibition and competition

GRAND RAPIDS – ArtPrize 2011 opened up its matching period to connect venues and artists in preparation for the third radical exhibition and competition founded by Rick DeVos.

With the opening of the month-long process, ArtPrize has more than 1,200 artists registered to participate in the competition offering nearly $450,000 in prize money.

The first seven artists to be matched with a venue were named today on the ArtPrize website as having found a home in one of the 199 venues participating in the exhibition opening Sept. 21.

The seven include artists who live locally, who are coming from New Orleans, Portland, Ore., and Altamonte Springs, Fla., one who hails from Ontario, Canada, and a Dutch artist now living in Singapore.

Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts has already secured several artists, including Marisa Keller, an Dutch artist working in Singapore, whose installation will feature 50 glass containers with abstract aqua tints in combination with such found natural objects as sand, stones and corals.

West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology will feature art by Tracy Van Duinen, second place winner of ArtPrize 2009, who will create a large-scale mural along the side of the organization’s home.

By design, artist sign-up is a quiet process, and artist names are not made public until they're matched with a venue, in part because some artists ultimately won't find a spot. Last year, some 450 artists who signed up weren't connected.

The process is competitive for venues, too. Each hopes to have an artist in the running for one of the 10 prizes chosen by viewers, voting online or through social media. In addition to the $449,000 in prize money to 10 artists, another $35,000 or more will be awarded by jurors who will pick five winners in various categories during the 19-day exhibition.

The deadline for artist sign-up is June 15. The deadline for connecting artists and venues is June 30.

Throughout June, you should see ArtPrize's artist list change, almost on a daily basis.

“Once the connection is secured, their profile goes public, so you can see the catalog of the event grow day by day.”